Former Georgia Southern coach dies after crash

RUSS BYNUMAssociated Press Writer

Published Saturday, September 09, 2006

STATESBORO, Ga. -- Erk Russell, the baldheaded coach who led Georgia's "Junkyard Dawg" defense under Vince Dooley and then built a small-college powerhouse of his own at Georgia Southern, died Friday after a car accident. He was 80.

East Georgia Regional Medical Center CEO Bob Bigley said Russell was brought by ambulance to the hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival at about 9:10 a.m. Bigley said Russell's death was "not from injuries" related to the wreck.

"There hasn't been a thorough examination, but the speculation is that he may have had a stroke," Bigley said.

Russell had just bought his morning coffee and a newspaper from a convenience store near his home when his truck struck and toppled a utility pole across the street, knocking out power to The Country Store.

"We went running out there, hollering to him to stay in the truck because there were power lines down," said store manager James Revell, who called 911. "He was talking and said he couldn't get his door open.

State Patrol Cpl. Chris Lacienski said the impact was minor. "There was not much damage to the vehicle," he said.

Revell and store cashier Kevin Parker said Russell showed no signs of feeling ill before he left or while in the wrecked vehicle. Revell even reviewed video from the store's security camera, which showed Russell animated and laughing as he walked out the door at 8:49 a.m., chomping on an unlit cigar between his teeth.

"I was talking to him about going to the Georgia game this weekend," Parker said. "He seemed fine."

Russell, who coached on Dooley's staff for 17 years and came to prominence as his defensive coordinator, left the Bulldogs after their 1980 national championship to build Georgia Southern's first football team since 1941.

He won NCAA Division I-AA championships in 1985, '86 and '89.

"I tried to get him to stay, but it was the right decision for him," Dooley said in 1989. "He has a charm about him that makes people really love him. But at the same time, he knows the game. He knows what it takes to win."

Win he did, never having a losing season in Statesboro.

Russell retired soon after winning the last title, but remained close to the school until a falling-out with former coach Mike Sewak two years ago. Russell cut all ties to Georgia Southern after his son, Rusty, was let go as defensive coordinator.

Sewak was fired after last season, and Russell again became a presence on the Georgia Southern campus with the encouragement of new coach Brian VanGorder, another former defensive coordinator at Georgia.

In fact, Russell spoke to the team Thursday, school spokesman Patrick Osterman said. The Eagles open their season Saturday night against Central Connecticut.

"To Statesboro and the Georgia Southern community, he's irreplaceable," said Holmes Ramsey, a longtime Southern booster and friend who routinely met Russell for coffee at Snooky's, a diner across the street from the team's practice fields.

Russell had health problems and several surgeries in the past year but he seemed to be recovering, Ramsey said. The two were regular golf partners.

"His golf score was terrible, but he had such a competitive nature he didn't let it keep him down," Ramsey said.

Born in Birmingham, Ala., Erskine Russell was a four-sport letterman at Auburn. He began his coaching career at Grady High School in Atlanta, then had stints as an assistant at Auburn and Vanderbilt before joining Dooley's first staff at Georgia in 1964.

A colorful character, Russell would go head-to-head with his helmeted players to make a point. He often wound up with blood streaming down his bald head, but didn't mind a bit if it inspired his defense.

On the sideline, Russell was a wild-eyed presence who used all sorts of techniques to fire up players -- a striking contrast to Dooley's calm demeanor.

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who had known Russell since they played on rival high schools in Birmingham, called him one of the greatest motivators.

"He took a school with no program and eventually won championships," Bowden said Friday. "He'll probably be remembered as a very animated coach who produced great defenses. And there was no better speaker in front of a group than Erk. I hate to see him leave us, but he is a good man who'll go to the good place."

The bald dome was Russell's signature. Amazingly, it was thriftiness led him to shave his head early in life -- he didn't want to pay for a haircut after the cost went up to $1.

"For $1 a crack, I figured I could do what the barber did," Russell once said.

Russell was the inspiration for the Georgia defense that helped the Bulldogs capture the national title in 1980 with a perfect 12-0 record and the first of three straight SEC titles.

He coined the phrase "Junkyard Dawgs" after an uncharacteristically poor season in 1974. He printed up shirts that said "TEAM" in big letters and "me" in small ones, and prided himself on taking undersized, less-talented athletes and turning them into defensive stalwarts.

Loran Smith, longtime sideline reporter on the Georgia radio network and head of the school's Bulldog Club, described Russell as the "heart and soul of Georgia football for the years he was here."

Russell appeared in line to take over as Georgia's head coach when Dooley got a lucrative offer from Auburn, his alma mater. But Dooley decided to stay at Georgia, and Russell was lured to Georgia Southern to restart a program dormant for 40 years.

"The part of doing it all from nothing appealed to me," Russell said. "Good or bad, it's my doing. Did I lose my mind leaving Athens? I can't afford to look back."

Russell compiled a 83-22-1 record in eight seasons with the Eagles. He was a three-time I-AA national coach of the year and his final team went 15-0, beating Stephen F. Austin 37-34 in the championship game. He retired four days later.

Even after he stepped down, Russell's presence loomed large over the program. The Eagles won three more championships under two of his former assistants, sticking with the run-oriented option offense that he used.

Only after VanGorder was hired this season did the Eagles finally switch to a more conventional offensive scheme.

Russell was popular in Statesboro for reasons that went beyond winning. He tirelessly promoted the Eagles, to the point of christening a drainage ditch beside his practice field as "Beautiful Eagle Creek" and claiming its water possessed mystical powers. He often sprinkled the water on the field during road playoff games.

Russell returned to Athens a few years ago to fire up the Bulldogs. Coach Mark Richt still shows a video of that speech to his players.

"He didn't take himself too seriously, and people loved him because they knew he cared," Richt said. "He left a huge impression on the Georgia program."